Fog, Snow, and Smell with Chris Markgraf from Froggy's Fog

Episode 103
·
January 25th, 2017
·
35 mins 24 secs

About this Episode

Froggy's Fog provides fog, haze, snow, bubbles, and even smells for haunted houses across the country (and probably the world). The company started in the roller skating industry then expanded to haunts, mega-churches, emergency and military personnel trainings, and even airshows. During last year's Midwest Haunters Convention, Creative Director Scott Simmons and Director of Sales and Marketing Katie "Dudders" sat down with Chris Markgraf, one of the founders of Froggy's Fog.

Froggy's Fog started in a Chris' family owned fun center. One day, Chris turned on their new fog machine and suffered an asthma attack. Chris worked with his father, a biochemist and Adam Pogue, a university student studying business, to develop a fog Chris could comfortably breathe.

Chris, Scott, and Dudders discuss marketing and Seth Godin's book Purple Cow. When Chris and Adam created Froggy's Fog, they instinctively utilized some of the same best practices from Godin's book.

Chris explains how Leonard Pickel, HauntCon, and fellow friendly haunters introduced his company to the haunt industry. Today, Froggy's Fog operates a full manufacturing plant on 10.5 acres south of Nashville, Tennessee. They service a variety of clients, from nightclubs to the Blue Angels, and safety is always a top priority.

Froggy's Fog has expanded into the world of smells. While flying on Southwest, Chris read an article about how our sense of smell is the oldest memory our brains can recall. Before we developed our eyesight, we recognize the good and bad around us by smell. In a haunt, a customer may not remember what they saw, but they will remember what they smelled.

Chris and Scott discuss the importance of being dynamic and creating balance in a haunt. Also, giving customers down time to let their guard down. The podcast concludes with the weirdest smell they've ever had to create and the importance of buying safe fragrances.